Carlinville company protests lost state contracts

Thursday

May 24, 2007 at 12:01 AMMay 24, 2007 at 1:53 AM

SPRINGFIELD -- About 15 workers from Rely Services in Carlinville protested outside the Illinois Capitol at noon Thursday, contending their company has lost state contracts because bidders from other states can pay a lower minimum wage.

Dana Heupel

By DANA HEUPEL

STATE CAPITOL BUREAU

SPRINGFIELD -- About 15 workers from Rely Services in Carlinville protested outside the Illinois Capitol at noon Thursday, contending their company has lost state contracts because bidders from other states can pay a lower minimum wage.

“Their jobs are in jeopardy, simply because we had to take into consideration that the state of Illinois’ minimum wage is going up, and we had to put that into the bid, and that’s why we lost,” said Mark James, office manager for the corporate office in Hoffman Estates.

Illinois’ minimum wage is $6.50 per hour and is scheduled to rise to $7.50 on July 1. It will increase in stages to a high of $8.25 on July 1, 2010.

The company, which was known as Accudata before it was acquired by Rely Services in 2005, has sought to retain several state contracts but has been underbid by firms from North Carolina, Indiana and Michigan, where the minimum wages are lower. Rely Services administrators have said they may be forced to close the business or move to another state if it loses more state contracts.

The workers perform such duties as typing information from paper forms into computers and scanning documents into electronic formats. Gathered around the Lincoln statute on the east side of the Capitol on Thursday, they shouted “Save our jobs!” and sported signs with such slogans as “Save Our Salary” and “Honk If You Want To Keep Your Job in Illinois.” A number of passing motorists responded by sounding their horns.

“The state is taking our contracts to North Carolina, and it’s going to put about 134 people out of work,” said Michelle Cox, who scans documents for the company. “A lot of us don’t make very much anyway, and this isn’t helping us very much.”

Some of the protesters were high school students who work part time for Rely Services, said Brenda Witt, operations manager at the Carlinville facility.

“It’s a learning experience for them, too, and they’re having a good time,” she said.

James said the protesters also were talking to local legislators to express their concerns.